New Tarptent Aeon Li

Crocodiles … chuckle.
What Ryan has missed out on is that the ‘new pair of pants’ will probably have a claymore mine inside the arse. :)

Teaser:

Edelwiess flowers on the Vogel Ridge in Slovenia. They were nearly extinct at one stage, but are recovering.

Reality:

Same place, but a different view. 60 – 80 kph wind and rain all day, very cold, difficult limestone terrain. Both photos are ‘honest’.

Cheers

Ryan, I’m glad someone understands Australians 😁

Wow…so many contentious posts.  That’ll teach me to make a joke around here!

At least Henry got it :)

It’s December 10 – and ????

— Rex

Now that really is cruel.

I think that Randy Newman’s ‘Leave Your Hat On’ would have been the more appropriate music for that video, which shows just enough raised skirt to make us believers.

(or maybe that will be used for the upcoming video!)

I mean,does it have a floor? Netting? we’re salivating and forgetting to ask the basic questions.

It’s on Instagram now and looks a lot like the Plexamid with corner struts.

https://www.tarptent.com/product/aeon-li/

It seems to have a DCF floor and netting (which would follow from Henry’s other DCF shelters). It seems to have the same kind of corner as the Stratospire, but different fabric tension at a corner than the Stratospire.

Maybe Henry figured out how to make a Rainbow out of DCF…

Oops. Seems not…. :-)

I can’t wait to hear some reviews.  It looks like an awesome tent, particularly for those of us who are taller than average.

looks a lot like the Plexamid with corner struts.

Except that the Plexamid apex folds up like a wet noodle when stressed…

That one pic of Ole laying down (granted, Ole is 7 foot tall), put him on a sleeping pad and under a quilt and his head and foot end would both be touching the sidewalls. At least that’s what it looks like to me.

Another nice creation Henry! Have always liked the stuff you make (as you know, I’ve owned most of them). Now about that DCF Rainbow. A double if you please… :-)

Except that the Plexamid apex folds up like a wet noodle when stressed…

Well, I was just going by the first pic I saw on Instagram, before seeing it on the web site. As I mentioned in my second reply, I see advantages in this new tent.  Keeping the bathtub floor in position with those corner struts is something I think everyone will appreciate, but us taller folks who need every inch of space will be particularly happy.

If you revisit https://www.tarptent.com/whats-new/ and reload the page you should see the full 360 degree view of the tent.   Here’s a screen grab of one angle.

From what I can see, it looks like it uses 3 struts in the back:  one on each corner and one dead center

What I like compared to my Zpacks Hexamid Twin “tent” with extended beak, which I’ve had since about 2012:

The vestibule door seems to come down a bit closer to the ground, giving more protection.

The vestibule separates into two “doors”, vs the Hexamid beak which needed to be unclipped and rolled up.  That should be easier to get into and out of.  It appears that the vestibule doors are held closed with two long strips of velcro.  Not sure how that holds up in big winds.

The Hexamid twin uses a 2nd hiking pole set quite short to prop up the back.  The Aeon’s three struts should make the back of the tent feel roomier because the corner struts make the corners higher.

The Hexamid twin had two additional mid-panel guy-outs which the Aeon does not.  This should simplify pitching of the Aeon, as there are two less guylines and stakes to worry about.

The Aeon has a top vent which the Hexamid twin did not.

The  Heaxamid twin had open netting all around the perimeter, but much of that would be obscured when you added the bathtub floor.  The Aeon has the two open ended strut corners to bring in additional airflow.

Things I don’t like:

The 3 struts.  As mentioned previously, they can make stuffing these types of shelters into one’s pack more difficult.  I have the StratoSpire 2.  I think it’s the one thing that keeps me from stuffing the SS2 down into my pack horizontally. But whatever.

Looks like a nice tent. Agreed that the apex design is a nice improvement over the Plexamid. The design in general has some nice improvements over the Plexamid, such as the door zipper that doesn’t fall in the dirt and fewer mandatory stakes.

There’s a lot to like about this but the struts are a deal breaker for me. I also get snowed on regularly and can’t tell if the ends near the door are steep enough to shed snow or collect it.

Henry was reluctant getting into DCF but he appears to be doing a great job with a somewhat difficult to work with material.

Looks like a really nice, light 1 person 3 season tent. From the https://www.tarptent.com/product/aeon-li/ webpage, photo 5/16:

Vestibule door can close flat with no guyline to fit into tight places

How can the structure stay up without a front guyline?

How can the structure stay up without a front guyline?

I could be wrong, but it looks like it still has the guyline, but it is very short and goes straight down.

I think there are 4 struts: 3 struts along the back edge, and 1 that sits horizontally a few inches below the peak.

Edit: there are actually 6 total struts (each of the back corners has two).

I don’t think there’s a guyline in the last photo posted by Brad. I would imagine that the guylines at the bottom of the doors, combined with the top strut, would keep it taut enough.

Edit to say, I don’t think there’s a guyline from the top of the shelter down in Brad’s post, only on the bottom of the doors. That might be what Brad meant.

Henry,

Hats off to you for your innovation and coming up with another design.

Think that your decision to use the struts are a clever way to increase the interior space while keeping the weight down.

Looks amazing….curious to see the reviews later about how it holds up to high winds/rain/snow in comparison to other mid shelters.

Looks like an amazing 1st venture into cuben/dyneema for you!

Tony

How can the structure stay up without a front guyline?

Physics…

The apex has rotational and translational equilibrium due to forces on the front corners and back wall applied to the cross strut.

“How can the structure stay up without a front guyline?”
Think of a regular mid like the MLD DuoMid. That doesn’t need a front guyline because the peak is set well back from the front edge of the shelter. So the front corners provide forward pull on the peak. If you go with an offset mid, you are basically moving the peak closer to the front. The more you do this, the more the front wall becomes vertical and less forward pull there is from the front corners, so the further you go, the more the need for a front guyline increases.

The Aeon has the peak pretty close to the front edge, so it looks like a guyline should be mandatory, but the peak strut changes this a bit because you also have a line of tension from the front corners to the back of the peak strut. So if you look at the most “backward” part of the peak strut, it is still a fair bit behind the front edge and thus you get forward pull on this from the front corners so the shelter can stand. It appears that you’d still want a front guyline in any kind of weather, but in fair weather you could pitch it like this.

The Plexamid appears to have the peak slightly further forward still, and since there are two peak struts in an X, the back edge may also be further forward. So either the Plexamid can’t stand like this, or it would be really feeble.

I see the physics behind being able to pitch like that. I’m sure it’s not intended to be a typical pitch, but an option when necessary.

I’m very glad to see this one enter the market.  Best wishes, Henry. Competition drives innovation and is good for us consumers.

Lester – thanks for pointing out the photos.

I like those magnetic door catches.  It’s a nice touch compared to other door tie-back designs.